Business

Betrimex looks to boost value of coconuts

Released at: 10:18, 19/02/2016

Ben Tre company opens plant to produce a range of beverages made from locally-abundant coconuts.

by Doanh Doanh

The Ben Tre Import Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex), a prestigious brand for 40 years in coconut product processing, has invested $20 million in setting up a coconut water and coconut milk plant in the Mekong Delta’s Ben Tre province.

According to Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My, Chairwoman of Betrimex, investing in advanced manufacturing technology is a new direction for the coconut processing industry in the future.

In its initial operating stage the plant launched canned coconut water called Cocoxim in four flavors: Green, Lotus, Kumquat, and Pineapple. After winning favor among customers in Ho Chi Minh City the products are now being distributed nationwide and exported to countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Betrimex is one of the leading businesses in Ben Tre investing in the coconut processing industry, producing high-quality finished products to meet demand domestically and for export.

Known as “a multipurpose plant”, coconuts have been part of human life for centuries. Coconut trunks, for instance, are used as timber to build houses, package goods, and manipulate handicraft products. People use its leaves to roof houses and its stems to make handmade arts. People also use its shells as activated carbon, its fibers as rope, and it is also an ingredient in fertilizer.

Coconuts have brought much benefit to growers in Ben Tre. Rich in minerals and vitamins, coconut water is a natural cooling drink that provides a good source of nutrients. Moreover, coconut rice is an ideal raw material in food processing. The combination of the lightly sweet coconut water and fatty coconut rice certainly gives an unforgettable aftertaste.

Among the richest provinces in the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is famous for its high-quality coconuts, with a total growing area of nearly 67,000 ha. With a wide array of economic values, coconuts are closely associated with the daily life of regional farmers.

How to optimize the benefits of coconuts is a common question requiring cooperation among farmers, enterprises, and local authorities. Efforts aim at realizing the increasing value of local agricultural products, advertising and popularizing coconut products nationwide and worldwide.